


Ask Nice

by sprinkle_of_cinnamon



Series: Am I Dreaming or is that a Prompt-Based Harringrove Series? [3]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Actual Angel Will Byers, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Athlete Steve Harrington, Basic Bitch Steve Harrington, Bisexual Disaster Steve Harrington, California, F/M, Flirting, Gay Billy Hargrove, Good Babysitter Steve Harrington, Good Friend Tommy Hagan, Good Sibling Billy Hargrove, Insta Famous Max, Lifeguard Billy Hargrove, M/M, Mixed Media, POV Steve Harrington, Past Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Friendship, Rowdy Gutenberg, Short Shorts, Spring Break, Steve Harrington & Nancy Wheeler Friendship, Steve Harrington Is a Mess, Surfer Billy Hargrove, Surfing, Underage Drinking, dumb of ass pure of heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:42:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24519391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sprinkle_of_cinnamon/pseuds/sprinkle_of_cinnamon
Summary: He flopped backwards to stare up at the lightening sky and breathe in the calm before he had half a dozen teenagers chattering at him about the Pythagorean Theorem or some shit.“Mornin’, pretty boy,” a rough voice said beside him and Steve saw Billy plant his board in the sand, fucking glistening.The Modern Cali Spring Break Beach AU that no one asked for featuring College Athlete and Basic Bitch Steve Harrington, Lifeguard Surfer Billy Hargrove, The Full Party, and More.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove & Heather Holloway, Billy Hargrove & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Jonathan Byers & The Party, Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington & The Party, The Party & Nancy Wheeler, Tommy Hagan & Steve Harrington
Series: Am I Dreaming or is that a Prompt-Based Harringrove Series? [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1771882
Comments: 13
Kudos: 232





	Ask Nice

**Author's Note:**

> Stranger Things is Stranger Things and not mine at all. 
> 
> Prompt: Clothes Sharing. Yeah, I don't know how I got here either from this prompt but I had a hell of a time doing it.
> 
> Be sure to check out [**Freedom From Excess Modesty (This is all Nancy’s fault)**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24524746) (3908 words) by [**toomanysharks**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/toomanysharks) for another take on the same prompt. Billy's been inducted into The Party and now has to suffer the consequences by hanging out with people he actually likes.

Steve stretched out on a beach chair. He tipped his sunglasses back and enjoyed the way his skin prickled in the heat.

While not a big reader of fine print, large text blocks or long, confusing words, he thought this worked out pretty well. Without really knowing anything about it, Steve signed a chaperone form Dustin waved around for whatever giant nerdfest the kids wanted to go to.

Every summer Dustin went to science camp and this event brought together science camps from across the country for some, something. Steve didn’t really know.

What he did know was that Dustin’s girlfriend, Suzie, from Utah would be here and Max, the redhead who joined the party’s quests online. She was an arcade game legend, consistently and embarrassingly decimating all their Dig Dug scores.

So far, he hopped on a plane to California, herded the kids like wayward ducklings to some convention center for scientific discovery and got free food and sunshine in return.

It all fell over spring break too. A win for everyone.

Nancy dropped into the chair next to him after applying a second layer of sunscreen. She looked cute in a retro, neon blue, high waisted suit.

However, Nancy also lost half an hour to a Stanford professor talking at her about the printing press. Steve made his own hasty retreat once he loaded a plate with mangos and pineapple, mouthing a silent, insincere apology to his ex-girlfriend.

“How’s Gutenberg?” Steve asked. That was the only part he actually heard before escaping.

Nancy groaned, making a face. As a peace offering, he gave her free pick between his Sno-Cones. So he went back for more snacks.

Whatever, they were free. They were meant to be eaten.

She very seriously inspected them both, studying the brightly colored sugar syrups in the rainbow cone and then the one that turned a toxic green from the blue and yellow blending together.

“Fuck Gutenberg,” Nancy muttered, taking the one that looked like the chemical spill that probably turned the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

“Interesting choice,” Steve said, biting into his own rainbow cone. “But I’m pretty sure he’d be DTF.”

Nancy laughed, her tongue stained from the syrup already. His had to be worse with the extra colors.

She looked around the spot he staked out on the beach and then pulled out her phone to snap a picture of Steve. He held up his Sno-Cone, posing with the ocean as a backdrop.

“How does your hair still look that good after half a day on an airplane?” she frowned at the picture, flicking through filters.

Steve grinned and held out a hand for her phone. He took a boomerang of Nancy spinning around in the waves just for that.

Once they sat back down, she flipped her phone around to show him a picture of Jonathan flipping the camera off. He stayed inside for orientation with the kids because he was a good person.

Also because Steve suspected he would suffer third degree burns after about a minute of this kind of sun exposure.

Since she was already sharing the pictures, Steve sent off a selfie he took with Nancy by the water to Tommy H. and Robin.

Partially to check in and partially to brag.

Tommy went to the Bahamas with Carol, so he had his own beach view. Unfortunately for Robin, her Spring Break involved visiting distant relatives in Kansas.

‘sprang breaaaaaaaaak’, Tommy texted back with a picture of him and Carol as they drank out of a coconut. ‘carol says hi. have fun being a nerd.’

Steve already told him before that he was only chaperoning but Tommy still found the whole thing hilarious.

Robin sent back a picture of herself trying to walk with four children clinging to her legs. ‘I hate you right now but also please let me live vicariously. go yonder, go apeshit, report back.’

“So, what is this thing then?” Steve asked, putting his phone down and collapsing back into his lounge chair.

Nancy looked up at him in fond exasperation, not at all surprised by the question. “It’s a nation-wide competition for STEM summer programs,” she explained. “The kids get assigned a task then come up with something and present it like a science fair. It’s the semi-finals.”

“So they’re making volcanoes,” Steve summarized.

Nancy snorted as she pulled her hair up into a lofty ponytail. “Dustin built a fully functioning robot last summer.”

“Okay, fine. Volcanoes with real lava,” he amended.

She shook her head. “Well, if you just put your name on whatever Dustin hands you, this definitely explains who signed for those fireworks.”

“He said they were for educational purposes,” Steve insisted. “Who am I to question a kid who builds robots? Besides, Mike’s eyebrows grew back. It’s all good.”

Nancy looked entirely too pleased about the development. “Hop owes me $20.”

“You’re welcome,” Steve said, raising a hand in acknowledgement.

He glanced around the beach then, white sand glimmering under the sun, water clear and blue. The kind of view that got printed on a postcard. “I could really go for a tequila sunrise right now.”

Nancy looked both left then right as if someone might overhear and narc on them. “We’re not 21,” she whispered like it was a secret he hadn’t been let in on. “And it’s only 3 PM.”

“I bet Gutenberg got real rowdy,” Steve sing-songed, pushing up off the chair, intending to wander around and see if he could rustle up any booze.

He flicked his Ray-Bans down and knew it looked cool because Nancy seemed reluctantly impressed by the move.

“My Mainz man,” she said with a nod. He paused, staring at her blankly.

“Because Gutenberg is from Mainz, Germa--,” Nancy trailed off. “You know what, nevermind. Go find us alcohol.”

Steve nodded resolutely.

He wandered further down the beach to try a different entrance. The one they came through served as the check in, so they clearly knew how old they were. He tried to figure out if he could go through a set of side doors and nearly tripped over a six-year-old girl’s sandcastle.

“Whoa, sorry!”

The small child shot him a dirty look and he took a few steps closer to the water to avoid her.

He then walked straight into a surfboard. Steve scrambled to catch it. He managed to right the hot pink longboard before glancing around.

Sand castle girl was definitely judging him but no one else seemed to notice.

“If you ask nice, I’ll let you take a ride,” a voice drawled from behind Steve.

He turned around as casually as he could while pretending he didn’t just flail wildly like a cartoon character.

Once he did, he kind of wished he just walked away, because now he couldn’t ever unsee this absolute daydream of a human being.

Water dripped from golden curls onto tanned skin.

So much bare skin and the guy was cut, in ridiculously good shape and Steve played college basketball. He worked with professional trainers that didn’t even have this kind of muscle definition.

A long necklace hung low on the guy’s neck, pendant off center and clinging to his bare chest, slick from the ocean.

Holy God did he want to put his mouth on him. To taste the salt and heat soaked into his skin.

Steve realized much later than he should have that he was staring way too intently for way too long. Thankfully, he had his sunglasses on but since he just managed to snap his parted mouth closed, he knew he still looked like an idiot.

“Uh,” he managed. Yeah, that didn’t help much.

The guy smiled at him, insanely blue eyes crinkling, fucking water droplets caught in dark eyelashes.

It was a smug smile and alarmingly sharp as he stood back to take Steve in. “You good, man?” he asked, his voice at a low enough register that it made Steve a little dizzy.

Although that could also be the heat or the extreme embarrassment.

“Me? Yeah, I’m good,” Steve said. “Are you good?”

The guy tilted his head, amused. His gaze slipped to Steve’s mouth before he nodded.

“Offer still stands,” he said and Steve blinked at him.

“What?”

The guy took a step forward and Steve forced himself to stay where he was because moving meant either taking down the sandcastle or the surfboard.

“If you ask nice,” he said, smirking as he repeated his words from before. “I’ll let you take a ride.”

Steve definitely heard him the first time he said that but was too panicked to process anything else.

Actually, he was still too panicked to process anything, just for an entirely different reason.

The guy shot a pointed look at his surfboard. “So, are you gonna ask?”

“I’ve never--,” Steve started to say and already hated himself because it sounded like something else entirely.

The guy’s smile grew wider and Steve stopped mid-sentence to start again. He could do this.

He knew how to flirt. He was an attractive, capable guy. For the most part.

Steve pushed his sunglasses up, running a hand through his hair to channel his nerves somewhere useful. The guy met his gaze, blue eyes a little wider than before when they met Steve’s, like he was startled.

Shit, he looked even better without the tinted lenses.

“Can you take me on a wild ride?” Steve asked, utterly deadpan. Nailed it.

The guy’s tongue slipped between his lips almost absently. “Oh, this is gonna be fun,” he said, turning to his board, pulling it up out of the sand easily, muscles shifting.

He bent down to dig the fins in, his short, red swim trunks riding up his thighs.

Steve was going to have a stroke.

The guy laid the board flat, glancing up at him on his knees as he patted the surface. “Hop on my thruster, pretty boy.”

Steve choked slightly.

The guy laughed, long line of his throat on display. “The three fin setup is a thruster config,” he explained. Taking a step forward, Steve got on the board where the guy indicated him to stand.

“Get a feel for it. Make yourself comfortable up there,” the guy said and Steve really didn’t understand how he managed to make basic instructions sound provocative.

He shifted his weight, centering himself better and getting used to the way the slightly gritty surface of the board felt under his bare feet.

The guy nodded. Then he tapped two fingers on the board while pushing himself up off the sand.

“Let’s get you ready. Lie down,” he prompted. Steve nodded, following the instruction immediately by getting in a plank position on his stomach and ignoring the innuendo for self-preservation.

Now his eyeline was directly level with the guy’s knees, spread wide where he squatted beside him. Jesus Christ.

The guy directed him through paddling and then into a push up position. Steve moved into the next part, keeping his toes on the board and lifting up the rest of his body, arched slightly upward.

The guy’s voice caught in his throat. “Yeah, like that,” he confirmed. “Now slide your back foot forward and bring your front one into a low lunge.”

Steve shifted his legs, hands coming up. The guy reached out, hand huge and warm, sand rough against his skin as he pressed a palm over Steve’s knuckles.

He was so close now that Steve could see the smattering of freckles that spread across the bridge of his nose, high across the planes of his face.

The guy smelled like coconuts and sunscreen and salt. Steve felt the insane urge to lick him.

“Keep your hands there, flat and steady until you stand to stabilize yourself,” the guy said. His voice rumbled from his chest, necklace swinging forward, metal hot as it brushed Steve’s shoulder.

The guy shifted away slightly. He took a seat but since he just reclined back with his feet in the sand, legs still fucking spread, it continued to feel like a personal attack on Steve’s libido.

“Keep your feet planted, shoulder width apart. Then push up to stand, knees bent.”

Steve stood up, feeling unsteady but not because of the position of his feet.

“Again but faster this time,” the guy said, nodding in approval. Steve really needed to not think too much about what he was saying or he was going to embarrass himself in a different way.

Everything the guy said sounded like porn.

He went through the motions a few times until he got the hang of it and the guy flashed him a smile. “Not bad for a tourist.”

“Who says I’m a tourist?” Steve asked even though he clearly was, sun deprived and gawking on the Californian beach.

The guy scanned a look over him. “I’m going to guess you’re a good, Midwestern boy. Am I right?”

“Indiana,” Steve confirmed, nose wrinkling up. No point denying it.

Shrugging, the guy licked his lips. He kicked Steve’s back foot forward to correct his stance while he practiced the pop up again. “Well, my compliments to Indiana. Doing something right if they grow ‘em like you out there.”

“You don’t have an off switch do you?” Steve said, huffing out a laugh and trying to concentrate.

The guy stretched out further, showing off. “Dunno, want to find out?”

Then he rapped his knuckles over Steve’s fingers. “Hands off the rails,” he reminded him. Steve repositioned his hands back to the center, flexing them against the board at the brief contact.

Despite the relentless flirting, the guy was a good teacher.

“I was just trying to find booze,” Steve said, shaking his head, muttering mostly to himself. The guy snorted.

He watched Steve as he went again, moving through the motions easily this time. “Hey, that’s it,” the guy said, looking satisfied with the progress.

“Feel good? Or do you still need my help to get up, pretty boy?” he asked, that tongue making another appearance as it ran over his full bottom lip.

Steve raised his eyebrows.

He gestured to where the guy had shifted to lean back on his elbows in the sand, body a fucking masterpiece on display, laid out under the sun.

“I’m definitely up,” he said. It was truly a feat of miracles that he could say that and only mean standing upright on the board.

Glittering blue eyes dropped to Steve’s own admittedly short, watermelon printed trunks. Steve wondered if that miracle would pack its bags and leave in the next moment, laughing at him on its way out.

“Yeah?” he asked. He flicked his gaze lazily back up Steve’s body. “You sure about that?”

Steve refused to be that guy popping a stiffy at the public beach. He jerked his chin towards the surfer, indicating his reclined position.

“If anything, looks like you could use a hand.”

“Or two,” the guy said. “I require a firm grip with both hands.”

Steve felt hot all over, sure his face went blotchy as the blonde settled back in the sand again.

He studied Steve’s hands like he was imagining them on him, vividly. “You offering yours?”

A whistle trilled and Steve turned, spotting a nearby lifeguard stand.

“Billy!” a girl called out.

She made her way over in a red one piece with the rescue logo on it. “I gave you an extra twenty past when your shift started because--,” she trailed off, gesturing to Steve, “but I really need to head out for my grandparent’s anniversary dinner in Sausalito.”

“Shit, sorry. I forgot that was today. Get outta here,” he said hauling himself up. “Say hi to Roland and Florence for me.”

The girl flashed him a smile before turning to Steve. “He’s on duty all week,” she told him.

“Bye, Heather,” Billy said, rolling his eyes.

She winked at Steve before jogging back to the stand.

“Um,” Steve said, picking up the board to pass it over to him. “Thanks for the lesson.”

The guy grinned, easy and stupidly hot. “Pleasure was all mine, pretty boy,” he said, starting to walk backwards towards the stand.

“Steve Harrington,” he said, introducing himself a little late.

Saluting, Billy rested his board against the side of the little stand. “See you around, Harrington.”

Then he climbed up the stairs before glancing back. “The cabana by the convention center. Tell them Billy Hargrove needs a refill and they’ll give you all the free booze you want.”

“Thanks,” Steve said again, startled by the gesture.

He watched Billy slip a whistle around his neck, metal clinking when it hit his necklace before going to track down the cabana.

“Compliments of Gutenberg,” Steve said, handing Nancy both a moscow mule and a mojito because he knew she liked limes. She cracked an eye open as he got back on his chair.

Steve cradled his tequila sunrise and strawberry margarita as he settled in, fully aware he was a basic bitch. To really cement it, he put on his ‘Cali Vibing’ Spotify playlist.

She took a sip of the mojito, pulling out her phone to take another picture of Steve and then a selfie of them both. “I’m sorry I doubted you,” she said, raising both glasses.

“The hot lifeguard hooked us up,” Steve admitted, sheepish.

His phone pinged and he glanced down to see an Instagram notification that Billy Hargrove sent a request to follow him. Billy’s page was, unsurprisingly, public.

He approved the request and then followed him back before wondering if he should have waited a little longer, like at least five minutes.

Nancy saw his screen and smirked. “That’s not the only thing the hot lifeguard is going to hook you up with.”

Steve spluttered, sploshing his drinks.

“Nance,” he said. “Oh my God.” It felt like Katy Perry also mocked him as she sang the chorus to California Gurls.

She laughed, tipping back the moscow mule. Nancy turned her own screen to show Steve a different disgruntled picture of Jonathan, flipping them the bird twice this time.

Then she scooted to the edge of her chair, waving Steve closer.

“Pull up his feed, let’s see those gratuitous shirtless pics,” she prompted and Steve took another sip from his margarita before obliging.

•

Steve spent the next few days reading off of schedules that Nancy handed him and pretty much doing nothing else. The kids were still brainstorming. So, he had plenty of time to spend at the beach lounging around with Nance, drinking boozy Sno-Cones while Jonathan huddled in the shade.

The rest of his time he spent getting pseudo surfing lessons/exercises in self control from Billy Hargrove.

It was stupid early in the morning, sky dark and grey over the water where Steve sat in the sand.

Back when his family used to actually go on vacations together, they always planned one morning each trip to watch the sunrise. When his dad still took time off work and his mom didn’t spend most of the year drunk in their Italian villa.

His hair was a mess, eyes bleary as he scrubbed at them with the too long sleeves of his white henley.

The light started to break, yellow and orange streaks through the clouds, ocean crashing against his bare legs. He blinked when he realized someone was out in the water through the ebb and flow, riding along the waves.

Steve snapped a few shots of the sunrise and then took a video of the surfer as they did that thing where they pushed the board under the water while moving forward, breaking through the rising waves. It looked slightly surreal.

The colors from the sky bright over the swells while the surfer slid seamlessly through the barrels of cresting waves.

He flopped backwards to stare up at the lightening sky and breathe in the calm before he had half a dozen teenagers chattering at him about the Pythagorean Theorem or some shit.

“Mornin’, pretty boy,” a rough voice said beside him and Steve saw Billy plant his board in the sand, fucking glistening.

He blinked. “Shit, that was you out there?” he realized, sitting back up.

Billy nodded, dragging a hand through his wet hair. “Dawn patrol,” he said, gesturing to the open beach and Steve definitely did not stare at the corded, rippling muscles in his arms. “Best time to hit the water.”

“You’re good,” Steve complimented and it wasn’t like he didn’t think he could surf but seeing it was something else.

Billy looked like he belonged out there, sluicing through the water, golden and beautiful.

He grinned at him. “I know.”

Billy sat down next to Steve. “I can take you out if you want,” he offered, cutting him a side glance.

Steve still felt kind of fuzzy in the early morning light, slower than normal. “Into the ocean?”

“Yeah, into the ocean, Harrington,” Billy said, huffing out a laugh.

Looking around, Steve shrugged. “Can we go now?” he asked. He didn’t know if the timing would work out later. The kids had rehearsals today and he was only here for a few more days.

Billy’s eyebrows shot up but he nodded, wandering away before coming back with a yellow board that matched the sun. Steve stripped off his shirt, down to color block swim shorts today.

Billy passed the yellow board over to Steve and made him practice pop ups on the shoreline before letting him paddle out.

Surfing involved a lot of down time.

“You in school?” Steve asked Billy in a lull, trying to count out his paddles.

Billy nodded. “English major,” he admitted, wryly. “Take night classes. Work here and at a car repair shop during the day.”

“You do words,” Steve said, impressed. “That’s cool.”

Looking at him, amused, Billy turned back to check the status of the waves. He shook his head and they coasted over the next set.

“What about you?” Billy asked.

Steve frowned at the water. “I’m in school,” he confirmed. “I play basketball but haven’t declared a major yet. Don’t know what I want to do.”

“College athlete,” Billy hummed to himself, gaze sliding over Steve.

He shrugged. “Yeah, I don’t know. I feel like all I’m good at is basketball and glorified babysitting.”

Considering that for a moment, Billy tapped Steve’s board as another wave came in. He began paddling. “You ever thought about coaching?” he asked.

Steve paused. He hadn’t but that made a lot of sense.

Billy tapped his board again and he hurried to catch back up.

He fell off the board at least four times and mistimed the waves more than he actually caught them, Billy rolling his eyes and helping him back up each time. Over and over again until Steve managed to successfully ride a wave.

A tiny swell compared to the kind of air he saw Billy catch earlier but Steve did it. He actually did it.

Surfing always felt like some distant thing he knew existed because Point Break. Something he’d never actually try or do but he just did.

“Shit,” he laughed, paddling back over, grinning brightly. “Holy shit.”

“Good form, pretty boy,” Billy complimented, eyes lingering before he looked away.

Steve squinted at Billy against the sun, higher in the sky now, almost blindingly bright. He realized that for all of his blatant flirting, Billy never crossed that line. He stayed contained to himself.

Hands shifting restlessly, clenching and unclenching the rails of his board like he didn’t know if he was allowed to reach out and touch Steve without the pretense of a lesson.

“If you ask nice--,” Steve said, mimicking Billy’s first words to him, trailing off.

Blue eyes, clearer than the water around them, snapped to Steve’s face. “Yeah?” Billy breathed. “What’ll you let me do if I ask nice?”

Straddling his board, Steve tangled his fingers in Billy’s curls. He licked the salt from the square edge of his jaw, tasted the ocean and coconut sunscreen and sun-warm skin.

“Dunno, want to find out?” Steve asked lowly, feeding Billy back his own line.

Laughing, he surged forward to kiss Steve, lips salty from the water, scorchingly hot and everything he wanted for days.

“The beach doesn’t officially open for another hour,” Billy told him, hands warm and steady where they rested on his thighs.

Heather pushed the door to the lifeguard stand open and then stopped short. “Wow, they really do grow them right in Indiana,” she said, getting a front row view of Steve’s ass.

He snorted and finished pulling his suit back on. Steve realized he needed to head out anyways when the sound of beach goers started filtering in through the stand.

Billy grinned, rummaging through his bag. He tugged on a cropped white tank over his trunks with the same logo as the one on Heather’s suit.

Steve glanced down. He realized he would need to head straight to breakfast to meet everyone but he definitely lost his shirt somewhere.

Before he could even get a word out, Billy tossed him a soft, worn pullover with the sleeves cut off. It had ‘Bay City Surf Club’ printed on the front over a logo of palm trees, two surfboards crossing.

He scrambled to answer his phone as it started to buzz, listening to Dustin chew him out for not meeting them down in the lobby.

“Steve,” he complained. “You know today is our run through. We have to stick to the schedule and the schedule says you and your hair are supposed to be here to meet us for breakfast.”

Shoving his head through the top, Steve juggled the phone while trying to get his arms through. Heather reached out to hold the phone to his ear after he almost dropped it, elbow getting caught. He mouthed a thank you as Dustin kept talking.

“We will not veer off course before step one. That’s not how this works,” Dustin continued, uninterrupted and apparently not caring that Steve hadn’t even responded yet. “We cannot let those east coast ivy league feeder clubs beat us out. Camp Know Where will be victorious, Steve. We will not lie down and let their long, rich history in academic legacies beat us down, Steve. We will succeed, Steve!”

Billy tossed him his shoes. “I’m on the way right now,” Steve told Dustin, slipping the boat shoes on.

“I think I went to the wrong place,” he lied. “Which lobby are you in?”

Heather snickered and Billy crossed his arms, all tan skin and flexing muscle, which distracted him enough for a second that he almost missed Dustin’s response.

“What, where are you? Steve there’s only one lobby,” Dustin said slowly.

He winced. “Ah, right. Oh, I think I see you,” Steve said, hanging up before Dustin could say anything back.

“Hello?” someone called tentatively from outside the stand. “I need help. My brother stepped on a jellyfish.”

Both the lifeguards sighed as one, in sync. “Fucking jellies,” Heather grumbled, grabbing a first aid kit.

“See you later, pretty boy,” Billy said as he passed.

He winked and slid his fingers up Steve’s wrist, heat trailing in their wake.

“Hope you had a nice night at your grandparent’s anniversary dinner,” Steve said to Heather and she laughed before he turned to sprint to the lobby.

Dustin craned his head around, standing apart from the rest of the group as he kept an eye out for him. Steve caught Will’s notice while sliding in from the doors that clearly led to the beach.

Holding up a stack of papers, Will nodded subtly before raising the documents up. Then he very intentionally dropped them all over the floor.

“Oh no,” he intoned.

Bless Will Byers.

Steve liked to think that he and Robin acted as LGBTQ+ Yodas for him but if anything, it was the other way around. Will gave way better advice.

Kneeling down, Will started to pick the papers back up and the rest of the party helped gather everything together, allowing Steve to join them without getting spotted. He picked up a few of the pages that scattered further out and passed them over.

“Steve!” Dustin exclaimed. “There you are. I was getting worried.”

Suzie patted Dustin on the shoulder as if she had been consoling him for some time. “See, Dusty? I told you he’d get here eventually.”

Steve felt bad that he stressed Dustin out. He tapped the brim of his hat. “Sorry, man. My bad.”

Lucas stacked together the papers he collected, neatly aligning the corners. “This isn’t like what happened at the Mall of America, dude. We would have found him this time.”

Nancy looked over Steve’s outfit, suit still slightly damp and wearing an unfamiliar top that was definitely not his. He didn’t even want to know what his hair looked like because he went to the beach with bed head then added salt water and Billy’s hands to the mix. Nancy even knew what his sex hair looked like.

There was no getting out of this.

She just smirked, thankfully not calling him out.

Unfortunately, her little brother did not do him the same favor. “Okay, you’re always kind of a hot mess but why do you look even messier today?” Mike asked, giving Steve a judgy up-down.

Jane shot Mike a scandalized glare. “That’s rude. Steve looks cute like he always does,” she insisted.

Steve appreciated her efforts but he knew he really did look like a fully fledged disaster. He didn’t need Mike Wheeler’s bitch ass pointing it out though.

“It’s beachy chic,” Lucas agreed, nodding. “He can work it.”

Will shot him a commiserating look, shaking his head. “Are we going to breakfast?” he prompted.

The party started towards the dining room and Steve really could not love Will Byers more.

“You’re already tan,” Jonathan observed, frowning as they walked. “That’s not even fair. You look fucking great.”

Steve grinned, patting his shoulder. “Thanks but a tan would take away from your vibe, man.”

“I’m annoyed but only because you’re right,” Jonathan admitted as if he didn’t lean heavily into the wan, artist thing. It was part of his charm.

Steve paid his penance by letting Dustin talk about electromagnetism the whole time they walked to the dining room. Max met them for breakfast and then they stuck to the schedule.

Since they were overly invested in Steve’s sex life, he informed both Tommy and Robin of the most recent update by sending a concise, ‘banged the hot lifeguard.’

‘yeahhhhhhh buddy way 2 go,’ Tommy sent back. ‘good 4 u. carol & i crept his insta. hes hot af. u deserve this.’

It felt so far removed that there was a time Steve felt nervous about coming out to Tommy as bi. He grew up with the guy. He was his best friend but Steve knew that especially in small town Indiana, not everyone kept an open mind.

Tommy had just stared at him for a long moment when he told him before clarifying, “So you’re telling me you’re into both? Shit, Harrington, you just doubled your odds.”

Then that was it.

‘Thank you,’ Robin texted back. ‘We really needed that. Feel free to give the hot lady lifeguard my number.’

He huffed a laugh and slipped his phone back in his pocket to try and actually help out.

This meant Steve just kind of handed everyone things as they needed them, moving around whiteboards and ripping off pieces of tape as asked. He held up a metal thing that looked sort of spiky, while Dustin tinkered with the base of the machine they put together.

Steve felt someone staring at him.

He looked up to spot Max, squinting at his shirt.

It wasn’t surprising then when she approached him while he went to track down a screwdriver Dustin described to him five separate times. “Grey, flat, long,” he said, repeating the words as he looked through the toolbox.

“Hey,” Max said, nodding at him.

Steve looked up. “Hey.”

He liked Max. She was a great addition to the party. Both street smart and smart mouthed, Steve appreciated that she regularly backed up his admittedly terrible ideas during quests.

More often than not, everyone else looked vaguely alarmed whenever he gave a suggestion. Everyone except Will.

“You’re somehow more of a jock than I expected,” Max told him. “Which is kind of insane because I didn’t think that was possible since half your Insta stories are you at basketball practice or doing keg stands.”

He laughed. “You’re cooler than I expected,” Steve admitted.

Max had like a 6K follower count on Instagram and growing.

She was basically on track to be an influencer, always listening to 80s rock or indie shit with killer style and a strong environmentalist stance.

It still felt disorienting to be less cool than a high schooler, especially since Steve had always been a Popular Kid. Max’s red high top Chuck Taylors and acid wash denim romper made him feel particularly lacking in his current outfit.

She smiled at him before he remembered he came over here to get something.

“Shit,” he muttered, digging around again for the screwdriver. Max reached into the box and plucked it out right away.

“Nice shirt,” she said, inclining her head. Interlocking hoop earrings with four, tiny, black beads in the center clinked together as she moved.

“Thanks,” Steve said.

Jane showed up next to him. She selected another pencil to continue her scribblings while casually doing math more complicated than anything Steve took at a college level.

She patted the shirt absently. “Oh, good. I thought it looked soft and it is,” she said, nodding as if satisfied with her discovery.

Smirking slightly, Max crossed her arms. “Where’d you get that? Didn’t think there were any Surf Clubs in the Indiana boonies.”

“Gift shop?” he tried and then realized he should not be asking. He was supposed to be telling her that.

Max looked unimpressed. “Boys,” she sighed, linking arms with Jane and going to take the screwdriver back to Dustin.

•

Steve filed in early with Jonathan and Nancy to get a spot near the front.

The party presented today and everyone felt the same thrumming, nervous energy about it. The kids came up with an absolutely ridiculous electromagnetic contraption as an alternative to what was used in modern home technology to cut down on environmental impact, or something.

He heard enough during rehearsals to sort of know what was going on.

These kids were all fucking geniuses. When he was a sophomore in high school he made a trick shot from his roof into the pool hoop and that was peak achievement for him.

Steve took a picture of the program where everyone’s names were listed out, feeling weirdly proud of them all.

“Shit, what’s up, pretty boy?” Billy said, dropping into the open seat next to him.

It made no sense that seeing a mostly clothed Billy made him more nervous than seeing him barely clothed.

He wore tight black jeans, ripped at the knees and combat boots, his white linen shirt almost entirely unbuttoned. Steve felt his polo and khaki combo could not compete.

“Hey,” he managed and Billy grinned.

Steve caught a glint of silver. A spike earring hung below four, small, black beads, dangling from Billy’s left ear. That design looked familiar somehow.

“You into science?” Billy asked, flipping through the program.

Before he could answer, Max rushed over in a panic. “Billy, I need your help.”

Steve looked between the two of them in confusion and she nervously adjusted her teal blazer. “My mom tried to do my hair because you already left for work and I forgot to ask you and she doesn’t do it right and I’m freaking out because I hate public speaking and I know this is stupid--,” she cut off as Billy leaned forward, tugging her hand and gently guiding her to sit down.

“Take a breath, Maxine,” he said, reaching out and pulling the braids loose from the top of her head. “You’re going to blow these fucking nerds out of the water,” he assured her as he worked.

“Right,” Max said with a nod. “We’re staging a takedown. Viva la revolution, motherfuckers.”

Steve made an alarmed but mostly confused noise at the scene in front of him.

“Quote me on that, Steve Harrington,” she said, talking over her shoulder.

Nancy covered her mouth as she laughed and Steve glanced over to confirm she was also seeing this. It seemed that she definitely did but Nancy watched the exchange, amused.

Steve was glad to see Jonathan looked equally thrown.

After Billy braided two parts of Max’s hair, he then somehow folded them together in place.

She tilted her head from side to side and let out a sigh of relief. “That’s so much better.”

Max hugged him then before hopping back up. “Thanks for coming, Billy,” she said, words rushing together before she ran off.

Billy shook his head as she disappeared around the corner, earring gleaming. Steve realized then that Max had earrings that matched his.

“Little brat’s my sister,” he explained. “Step sister technically but she’s cool.”

“Yeah, I know,” Steve agreed. “She helped me convince a group of teenagers to trap a pack of man-sized rats in a dungeon and play ‘Cotton Eye Joe’ until they went insane so we could weaponize them.”

Billy shook his head, snorting out a laugh. “I didn’t think you actually played that shit with them.”

“It’s really not--,” Stever started before realizing that nothing Max said gave away that bit of information and he never brought it up before.

“Wait, how’d you already know that I game with Max?”

“Uh,” Billy said, looking back down at the program, tongue poking between his teeth. “So, I thought I recognized you on the beach. Then I realized it was because I may have stalked you on Insta a while back after Max posted a screenshot from one of those video quests,” he admitted, running a hand through his dirty blonde curls.

Nancy leaned forward around Steve. “He went all the way back to your 2010 posts after you added him. If you saw a notification that he liked one and then it went away immediately, it’s exactly what you think it was,” she said, calling him out.

Billy’s eyes slid to Nancy and he grinned but then someone came out on stage to announce the start of today’s events and they all faced forward, quieting down to pay attention.

•

“We kicked their asses with radiant energy propagation!” Dustin whooped, dancing around with his gold medal.

They swept their bracket which qualified the party and the four other semi-finalists from the pool of two hundred camps for the finals.

Steve still didn’t understand what the words Dustin said actually meant. He high fived him anyway then pointed to Max, waiting for her input.

“Viva la revolution, motherfuckers,” she said, punching a fist into the air.

Jonathan got the party all together and snapped a picture of them in front of the water, all holding up their medals, smiles wide and victorious.

Once the formal events came to an end, Steve changed back into beachwear. They flew out tomorrow so he intended to stay out by the water until they needed to board that goddamn plane.

“You chaperoning the next round too?” Billy asked, slipping a piece of wildly vibrant bubblegum between his lips.

Steve noticed the explosion of colors and raised his eyebrows, reminded that there were Sno-Cones he could be eating. Boozy Sno-Cones.

Billy huffed as he held up the package. “Max,” he said, shaking his head. “To help me quit smoking. She found these and thought it was hilarious.”

“It is hilarious,” Steve confirmed. “And yeah, I think I will. Really into science.”

Looking at him, Billy cocked his head. “If you fucking say biology, I’m walking away,” he warned him.

Steve opened his mouth. “Don’t say chemistry either,” Billy said, eyes narrowed.

He laughed. “Surfing,” Steve clarified.

“I thought anatomy was coming next,” Billy admitted.

Steve rolled his eyes, gesturing out to the water. “Told Dustin I went surfing and he went off on the physics. So I googled it and definitely didn’t follow any of that stuff except that you can use real-time weather data to track waves.”

Billy sat back, looking at Steve for a long minute. “Shit, pretty boy. You did homework for me?”

Flushing slightly, Steve shrugged. He glanced down and away.

Then realized he put on the top Billy lent him. “Guess I should give this back to you now, huh?” he said, plucking at the soft fabric, somewhat reluctant.

Billy’s mouth shifted into a smug grin at Steve’s obvious lack of enthusiasm to return the sleeveless sweatshirt, which was a ridiculous item of clothing in itself.

“Nah, keep it,” he said.

Nancy wandered over, passing over a Sno-Cone to each of them.

“Boozy Sno-Cones?” Steve asked, eyes wide as she nodded in confirmation."Nance, you are a goddess."

Jonathan sat under a huge umbrella behind them, raising his own cone in a salute. 

“You were doing something with your face and somehow I knew it meant spiked Sno-Cones,” she sighed as if she had no idea how that was possible.

Then she went on to hand out the rest of the non-alcoholic Sno-Cones to the kids with Will’s help.

Billy looked out over the water, watching the waves. “The Mavericks in Half Moon Bay,” he said like it was something he meant to say for a while. “Biggest waves in NorCal. I can take you there next time,” Billy offered.

“Sick, bruh,” Steve said, drawing the words out.

“He drives a really sexy Camaro,” Heather commented from where she lounged with Nancy. “I can tell you’ll be impressed by that.”

He definitely added Heather on Insta and made sure to post a throwback photo of Robin to get her on the top of his feed.

She was right too. Steve was impressed by that. Billy shook his head, fingers tangling in the fabric of his sweatshirt, warm as they brushed Steve’s stomach when he pulled him closer.

He tasted like sugar and the ocean, ice melting on his tongue, salty and sweet under the sun.

•

When he got back to Bloomington, Steve tossed the bong he got for Tommy onto his roommate’s bed because he didn’t fly back for another few days.

Then Steve flung himself on the couch, feeling weirdly out of sorts.

It was fifty degrees and overcast in Indiana. He missed the beach already.

Steve hit the gym to shake off his gloom. He made sure to post it to his story so he didn’t disappoint.

Sure enough Max sent him a crying laughing emoji.

It felt too quiet being alone in his apartment after a week full of people. The weekend passed and he tried to get back in the swing of things with classes and practice about to start back up.

On Sunday night, he posted a side by side picture of himself glaring out at the grey sky, middle finger raised next to one of him tanned with a Sno-Cone, smiling on the beach.

He captioned it ‘no sno-cones, no sunshine, no happiness’.

Only after the picture went up did Steve realize he was wearing Billy’s sleeveless sweatshirt.

 **dusty.henders:** big mood :(

 **jack.alley.oop:** ur sunshine steve-o

 **see.jane.hop:** for real. missing you and everyone and cali.

 **suzie.in.the.stars:** awwww steve

 **lucas.so.clear.so.fresh:** someone get this man a sno-cone stat

 **your.friendly.neighborhood.dungeon.master:** we can make it. only two more months to go till the final.

 **three.point.trav:** harrington, can you be in a surf club and a yacht club at the same time?

 **max.in.mayfields:** come back then, bro

 **nance.news.now:** I’d call you dramatic but I’ve been playing ocean noises and adding limes to everything.

 **mike.wheels.up:** ill do it. ur both dramatic.

 **nothing.but.jet:** ref, this is a foul on my heart

 **tommy.hey:** again dude????? im getting u a sno-cone machine 4 ur bday

 **carole.perky:** what our boy needs is vitamin D

 **Jonathan.Byers.Photo:** now nancy turned up the heat and put on a swimsuit. send help.

 **Jonathan.Byers.Photo:** those were good sno-cones tho

 **steve.with.the.good.hair:** where’s my invite, nance?

 **nance.news.now:** I’ll play fergalicious on full blast so you know when to head over but first I need to get you something to drink.

 **steve.with.the.good.hair:** hey, say it if you got something to say

 **nance.news.now:** Ya basic, Steve. Still <3 you.

 **full.court.dez:** pickup game to pick you up?

 **rah.rah.rah:** CANNOT believe you used the infomercial filter trick. That’s just depressing. I’m bringing shaved ice from Scoops to tide you over.

 **erica.speaks.truth:** why are you like this steve

 **heather.here.for.the.weather:** get your sweet ass back on my beach bby

 **billy.fuckin.hargrove:** like the shirt, pretty boy

•

Two days later Billy posted a selfie of himself at sunrise, clearly fresh from the water with the caption ‘never been but missing indiana’.

Tommy sent it to him like Steve didn’t already stare at it for twenty minutes. He appreciated that while Tommy didn’t actually start following Billy, he still looked at all of his content on Steve’s behalf.

The comments section was flooded with tons of spam. Porn bots mixed with normal people posting pornagraphic comments because Billy’s Insta was one giant thirst trap.

Billy himself was one giant thirst trap.

 **crystal.XXX.0069:** DON’T look at my page if you don’t want to get TURNED ON

 **grateful.head.513:** wtf why are you so hot surf into my dreams

 **max.in.mayfields:** my dude

 **max.in.mayfields:** if only an easy solution to this problem existed...oh wait

 **alex.129:** its my birthday pleeeeeeease reply

 **raven.way:** yas thiccc daddy

 **heather.here.for.the.weather:** literally don’t even know where it is on a map but you and me both

 **mochajoe04:** drop that haircare routine, curly king

 **shaka.waves:** sick view. malaga cove’s supposed to be pumping this weekend. totes bringing murph along for doggy paddles. if you want a ride down lmk.

 **nance.news.now:** Indiana misses you too.

 **Jonathan.Byers.Photo:** Indiana is all about the yearning. Amazing sky shot btw.

 **bay.city.surf.club:** You don’t choose the surf, the surf chooses you. Go to the link in our bio to see Billy epically shredding it all along the West Coast.

 **steve.with.the.good.hair:** Indiana has been tracking wave patterns. Ocean Beach looks good today.

 **billy.fuckin.hargrove:** but how’s Indiana looking today?

“Oh, Jesus Christ, Steve. Send the guy a dick pic and put him out of his misery,” Tommy called from his room, apparently tracking the unfolding events in real time.

“Just follow him already,” Steve yelled back.

Tommy scoffed. “Don’t fucking think I won’t.”

Right after he said that, Steve saw more comments appear under Billy’s post.

 **tommy.hey:** Indiana is a huge fan of this account and accidentally poured a whole fucking bag of protein powder into their post-workout shake while watching your hip opener yoga routine.

 **heather.here.for.the.weather:** omg please continue to update us on Indiana’s fan status **@tommy.hey** it is crucial

 **billy.fucking.hargrove:** yeah **@tommy.hey** keep ‘em coming because I know just how huge a fan Indiana really is

“Billy and Heather are both following me now,” Tommy informed him, absolutely delighted as he cackled.

Steve really only had himself to blame for that.

While he did not take the dick pic advice, Steve did DM a picture of himself still in bed, hair mussed and only in his underwear. ‘Indiana looks like this today’.

Billy responded almost immediately. ‘fucking unreal. indiana never disappoints’.

•

Like any good influencer, Max stored up her content, releasing it only once she was ready and never in real time.

Steve’s phone pinged and he saw she tagged him on something in Insta. She went bold with a ten photo post, a rare occasion because Max maintained an impeccable grid of singular shots.

Steve scrolled through them all, smiling at the collection.

A cute shot of Max, Jane, Suzie, and Nancy all by the edge of the pool, doing the same pose with their legs crossed. One of Dustin on Steve’s shoulders as he tried to reach a coconut.

One of Max and Will splashing around together in the ocean. One of Billy and Heather in uniform on the lifeguard stand, posing on opposite ends and gazing out into the distance.

One of Max giving Jane a piggyback ride with the sunset behind them. One of Billy hugging Max so tightly he lifted her off the ground, both of them laughing.

One of Lucas kissing Max’s cheek as they both stood proudly over a sandcastle. One of Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve lounging on the beach after the sun went down, holding up drinks to each other’s mouths.

One of Dustin and Mike standing on the balcony facing Max and Will, everyone armed with Kool-Aid filled water guns. One of Steve and Billy, floating out in the waves beside each other on highlighter colored boards, waiting.

Max captioned the post ‘just add water to the party for better results’ because of course she did.

She lived up to her Insta famous status. He double tapped to like the post.

 **see.jane.hop:** I love you SO SO SO MUCH MAXINE MAYFIELD omg cannot wait to see you

 **lucas.so.clear.so.fresh:** counting the days. love you babe

 **annie.fresco:** your braids look so good! tutorial please

 **suzie.in.the.stars:** best squad around

 **swim.sustain.smile** : happy to see you living your best life in our rockabilly polka dot halter suit. thanks for the tag! ethically sourced, free trade, fair wages, sustainable fabrics. check out our shop, link in bio.

 **mike.wheels.up:** lol gud timez amirite

 **allison.brooks.344:** we stan a redhead in the sun

 **dusty.henders:** mad max back at it again. slay me in centipede and with cute af party pics.

 **billy.fuckin.hargrove:** nice post, brat

 **josie.says.what:** freckle season

 **your.friendly.neighborhood.dungeon.master:** ready to reunite with my cali gurl <3

 **steve.with.the.good.hair:** GOAT level achieved

 **froyo.for.me:** where did u get those americana shorts?

 **nance.news.now:** So psyched for round two, let’s go.

 **erica.speaks.truth:** can I just swap you into the fam and swap lucas out?

 **rah.rah.rah:** The party has watered my crops and cleared my skin.

 **kim.kat:** passing the good vibes check

 **Jonathan.Byers.Photo:** wow the composition on these. see you soon!

 **heather.here.for.the.weather:** how do you get cooler every day? plz share your secrets w me on taco tuesday

Ten minutes later a DM from Billy came through. ‘got any plans this summer?’

Steve stared at his phone. ‘when?’

‘summer’, Billy sent back.

Steve snorted. ‘got that. you mean like all of summer?’

‘yeah,” Billy confirmed. ‘all summer because I’m going to crash it.’

Steve frowned at his phone. He was definitely missing something. ‘wait, what?’

Then Max sent a message to the group.

‘guess who’s roadtripping to Indiana for the whole summer after we kick ass in the final, losers?’

‘Special shout out to Hop for letting me stay with him and Jane. Also to Steve because Billy’s so gone on him that he’s willing to drive me 72 hours roundtrip to INDIANA. I love you all but what a terrible place. Thank God I’ll get plenty of quality vibe pics along the way.’

The chat blew up. It got so bad that Steve turned off his notifications after sending a solid line of exclamation points.

A whole summer.

He felt a stupid smile spread across his face and was glad no one was around to see it. Tommy’s Indiana updates were thorough, embarrassing because of his exacting level of accuracy.

Steve stared down at his phone, heart pounding when he saw Billy start typing.

‘if you ask nice--,’ Billy messaged and Steve waited for the rest to come through. ‘I might just let you fall in love with me.’

‘Oh, this is going to be fun,” Steve sent back.

**Author's Note:**

> Heather is 100% coming on this road trip.


End file.
